Craig Finn's 'We All Want the Same Things' Available Now

"God In Chicago," the extraordinary centerpiece track that gives WE ALL WANT THE SAME THINGS its name, was ranked #1 by American Songwriter on its "Top 25 Songs of 2017," noting, "We expect strong characters and compelling stories from Craig Finn, whether he's recording solo or with the Hold Steady. We even expect beautiful details and excellent location scouting. But we didn't expect a song as powerful, as specific, as lived in, as beautiful, as insightful, as risky as 'God in Chicago,' one of the great surprises of 2017."

"'God in Chicago,' the highlight from this year's WE ALL WANT THE SAME THINGS, is part spoken-word, part salute to the middle of country," wrote Paste in its "50 Best Songs of 2017," adding, "It's the subtle details that make this song so devastating."

"The Hold Steady frontman's uncharacteristically spare, calm delivery and some somber piano make the song punishingly stark as he crams a novel's worth of emotional and physical detail into five heartbreaking minutes," summed up Rolling Stone in its "50 Best Songs of 2017," ultimately declaring "God In Chicago" to be "a new peak for one of music's most indelible image-slingers."

STREAM "GOD IN CHICAGO"

WATCH THE "GOD IN CHICAGO" VIDEO

WE ALL WANT THE SAME THINGS - which follows Finn's two previous solo efforts, 2012's CLEAR HEART FULL EYES and 2015's FAITH IN THE FUTURE - was further highlighted among 2017's best on an additional number of year-end lists, among them Uproxx cultural critic "Steven Hyden's Favorite Albums of 2017" and Cleveland Scene's "One Alt-Weekly Schmuck's Top 10 New Albums of the Year."

"Eleven years on from (The Hold Steady's) BOYS AND GIRLS IN AMERICA, this album once again cements Finn's talents as a songwriter," wrote FLOOD in its "The Best Albums of 2017," "not just in terms of his storytelling abilities, which remain as potent as ever, but also as a chronicler of the American experience and the people struggling to live ordinary lives in ordinary towns. The irony, of course, is that Finn makes those lives just as interesting as anything in the movies."

WE ALL WANT THE SAME THINGS sees Finn exploring themes of love and partnership in the modern world, as ever expressed via finely etched character studies, black humor, and craftily arranged rock 'n' roll. Largely recorded at The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, NY with frequent collaborator Josh Kaufman producing, the album features musical contributions from drummer Joe Russo and Matt Barrick (The Walkmen), keyboardist Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Langhorne Slim), former Rainer Maria vocalist Caithlin De Marrais, singer/songwriter Annie Nero, horn master Stuart Bogie (Arcade Fire, Antibalas), and Finn's longtime partner in The Hold Steady, guitarist Tad Kubler.